RTT with annex owners opinions needed

[jonb96150]

Those of you that have an annex with your tents, could you give me your opinions?

Are they worth it / do you use them often?

How hard are they to install / remove?

How does the ladder impact the utility of the space created by the annex?

Thanks in advance for any input. I'm thinking about getting in on the CVT group buy.

 

[perrobravo]

Hanging the walls the make up the annex is easy (I have an Eezi-Awn 1600), but like any setup, takes more time that I'd prefer. Because of this (and my general laziness), I probably don't use the annex as much as I thought I would, and I prefer to do so when I'm staying more than one night in a given location. I generally carry it on all trips just in case and have been thankful for it on more than a few occasions when the weather turned and I needed a warmer place to hang out.

Inside there is room for 4 chairs plus some gear, even with the ladder in the middle. It isn't super-spacious with 4 people and a dog hanging out in there, but in a pinch it can be done. Besides a retreat from bad weather, it is nice to have a place to change, relax in the shade, etc.

A couple things to note.

1. In windy conditions, the walls have to be held down somehow. Even without wind I find it best to have something holding the walls in place (a bag, stakes, whatever) just to keep them in position when zipping the door/window and even just coming and going. Not a big deal, just one more thing to think about.

2. At least on the Eezi-awn, the tents with the annex have an extended portion of the roof/tent door that becomes the roof of the annex (hopefully this make sense). This portion has to be slid out and put into position even if you're not using the annex. Also not a big deal, but one more thing to adjust when setting up the tent and one more thing to tuck away when packing up. On the flip side, this does provide a bit more shade around the ladder, sort of like an awning, so it isn't all bad.

Are they worth it? As usual, this will depend on what you're looking for. For me it is, but if you're a hard core minimalist or want super-fast tent setup, maybe not. YMMV.

 

[jonb96150]

Thanks for the reply. Good points to consider.

 

[tag3]

I use the ARB Simpson III. The annex only goes up if it is raining. It only takes a few minutes to install and it travels in it's own bag.
I have the tent set up so it opens rearward. With the rear hatches open you can access the rear of the truck. So the fridge and cook set up is right there. And we can set up the laptop and watch a movie or use the tailgate for a table and play cards.

 

[mcgaskins]

This question is relevant to me as well as I'm about to purchase a CVT tent and trying to decide if the extra money for the Shasta is worth it over the Bachelor for the added protection of the annex covering the entrance to the tent. The main selling point of me getting a RTT to my girlfriend is how quickly it can be set up, so if I have to spend a ton of time setting the whole thing up it's not going to go over great. She will (rightfully) say that I could have bought a really nice ground tent for over a thousand dollars!

 

[perrobravo]

This question is relevant to me as well as I'm about to purchase a CVT tent and trying to decide if the extra money for the Shasta is worth it over the Bachelor for the added protection of the annex covering the entrance to the tent. The main selling point of me getting a RTT to my girlfriend is how quickly it can be set up, so if I have to spend a ton of time setting the whole thing up it's not going to go over great. She will (rightfully) say that I could have bought a really nice ground tent for over a thousand dollars!

I can set up the my RTT pretty quickly (under 10 minutes with beer in hand), but if you include the time to add the annex panels, I don't think I'd be faster than than someone proficient at setting up a basic ground tent, for sure not faster than setting up an Oztent or something similar.

That said, the real benefits of a RTT are not just in speed of setup. Being off the ground and having a comfy mattress built in are the selling points that I've found improve WAF (Wife acceptance factor). With the additional option of having an annex if you need it, the RTT wins, at least in my book.

 

[jonb96150]

My wife has spent many a night sleeping in a ground tent next to me. She is saying there is no way she is going to climb a ladder into the tent. How was WAF for the ladder?

 

[perrobravo]

My wife has spent many a night sleeping in a ground tent next to me. She is saying there is no way she is going to climb a ladder into the tent. How was WAF for the ladder?

Wife is fine with the ladder and the kids actually seem to enjoy it. It does add a certain element of adventure though when nature calls in the middle of the night.

 

[TemboTusk]

I have the Eezi-Awn 1600 but could not stomach the Eezi-Awn annex cost. I picked up a FrontRunner annex for fraction of the price.

The FrontRunner annex is light duty compared the Eezi-Awn, however that is an advantage. I permanently installed the annex and fold it up with the tent.

It takes just a few moments to unfurl and about as much time to roll up and secure. Because of that, I use it all the time. Great place to change, leave things unseen and it doubles as a toilet hide. Staked out it holds up to the wind.

If I had to pull it out of a bag an "Install" it every time, I would not use it.

As for WAF ... Nothing like a motor-home for the full WAF experience! Let the WAF dwindle even a little and watch the WSH drop like a stone! (WSH = wife's sense of humor)

 

[jonb96150]

Well I called Bobby owner of CVT yesterday and ordered the Mt. Shasta model. I think that once my wife uses the tent she will be sold. It is really nice to not be on the ground.

Maybe the annex won't get deployed that often, but if needed it should be a good asset. I can foresee having to get a porta-potty of some sort for the better half to use in the annex. That will for sure score major WAF!

 

[pray4surf]

I have an older CampingLab - an RTT without the covered ladder for entry/exit. We keep the Annex walls strapped up to the underside of the RTT (Top-side when folded over for transport. The 'stock' RTT cover fits nicely with the annex walls rolled up and stowed.

In the picture above, one 'half' of the annex walls is in the stowed position, the other is lowered.

Yes, the tent walls need to be anchored even in the lightest of winds. Being it luggage or gear or tent stakes. It does substantially increase the setup time - but for the female companion, it is time well spent


Good luck..

 

[mazatal]

I have an older CampingLab - an RTT without the covered ladder for entry/exit. We keep the Annex walls strapped up to the underside of the RTT (Top-side when folded over for transport. The 'stock' RTT cover fits nicely with the annex walls rolled up and stowed.

In the picture above, one 'half' of the annex walls is in the stowed position, the other is lowered.

Yes, the tent walls need to be anchored even in the lightest of winds. Being it luggage or gear or tent stakes. It does substantially increase the setup time - but for the female companion, it is time well spent


Good luck..

Wife is fine with the ladder and the kids actually seem to enjoy it. It does add a certain element of adventure though when nature calls in the middle of the night.

These handy little jewels will keep until morning.

 

[Texasknowhow]

I use the ARB Simpson III. The annex only goes up if it is raining. It only takes a few minutes to install and it travels in it's own bag.
I have the tent set up so it opens rearward. With the rear hatches open you can access the rear of the truck. So the fridge and cook set up is right there. And we can set up the laptop and watch a movie or use the tailgate for a table and play cards.

Do you have any pictures of your rig/RTT set up? We are also in the market and asking a lot of the same questions. One of my questions was the orientation of the tent wrt the truck. I thought the lift hatch on an 80 would hit the bottom of the tent if it was installed to deploy to the back...

 

[tag3]

Do you have any pictures of your rig/RTT set up? We are also in the market and asking a lot of the same questions. One of my questions was the orientation of the tent wrt the truck. I thought the lift hatch on an 80 would hit the bottom of the tent if it was installed to deploy to the back...

I don't right now. Will be setting up in the next couple of weeks and will snap a few pics then.

 

[Texasknowhow]

Sounds good. Will be good to see more pics of these. I'm in the market. Also I saw, to late of course, the group buy that CVT was having. Man!

 

[Thornton]

I've had the camping labs with the annex which the wife liked and then after seeing the simpson III that has the ladder inside the annex we purchased that and she loves it. Set up is quick and simple, it's on a m-416 trailer so we can set it up and leave it for an outing. She likes the idea of being able to come down the ladder into her own private area.

 

[MtnAddict]

The FrontRunner annex is light duty compared the Eezi-Awn, however that is an advantage. I permanently installed the annex and fold it up with the tent.

Great idea, I am going to have to try this.

I have used the CVT Mt Shasta for a few years now and purchased more for the wife. The mattress was the selling point, as she was tired of sleeping on the ground. I have a love hate relationship with the tent. I don't like the added weight up top acting as a sail, but once it is set up, it is fine and frees up some room inside the truck from sleeping bags and a tent. I would prefer the tent to be on a trailer, but that is another project. Folding it back up is a little bit of a PITA when you have to stuff all the extra materiel back in, but it is not terrible once you get used to it. The annex was a must have for the wife and is a great place for the dog to sleep and to store gear and as was already stated a toilet. If it was just me, I would not use the annex, but it is a nice area to have once set up. Again, it is not hard, just an added step. Looking forward to trying to fold the annex up with the tent.